Customer Reviews

Jose Clemente Orozco: Prometheus

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I was a little put back wondering how so much could be written about one piece of art; then again we're talking a monumental groundbreaking piece, Promethius. At first drawn to the colorful photographs of this fantastic public display I was mesmerized with the brilliance of color, slashing strokes of genius revealing the at once creator and destroyer Promethius. Larger than life, in epic proportions this mammoth contribution was created by one of the three master muralists of Mexico, Jose Clemente Orozco. The other two muralists being Siquieros and Rivera who would later follow suit and create murals in the United States. The color and black and white pictures of Orozco's art, including some from Mexcio, is worth the price of the book by itself. The book features four rather scholarly essays written over a span of forty-three years. These essays are considered the most important analytical writings on Promethius by Orozco. The book details the origins of this book, the problems and the success in producing a complimentary publication to the major exhibition that came to the United States in 2001of which I was fortunate enough to witness.The aquisition of the original drawings was a struggle but eventually the family relinquished the ownership so that the originals could be with the mural in Pomona College. One of the interesting controversies regarding Promethius was the fact that everything was massive and in colossol proportions, the muscled male nude had everything except for his genitalia which was missing. Throughout it's reign over the dining hall at Pomona College, since 1930, students have had protests over this issue and it has even resulted in vandalism. In spite of the controversy restoration has taken place to guard and preserve the original integrity of the masterpiece for future generations. Anyway the essays are interesting and thought provoking. Many angles are discussed that deal with the social and historical relevence of Promethius and as to why Orozco chose him. The actual reproduced art work is an amazing demonstration of brilliance. Many of his other works are featured and discussed as well. The collection of studies for the murals are exceptional embryonic manifestations of the inner workings of creativity. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the works of Jose Clemente Orozco.